- By Nidhi Giri
- Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:29 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
US Exits WHO: The United States finalised its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), marking the end of a year-long process initiated by President Donald Trump. This decision concludes all US involvement with the health agency while the country still owes around USD 260 million in unpaid dues, as reported by Bloomberg and Reuters.
According to Bloomberg, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that all financial contributions to the WHO have been halted, and American staff have been pulled back from the organisation’s headquarters and global offices. The US has also ceased taking part in WHO-led leadership groups, technical panels, and working committees.
The move by Trump comes after he signed an executive order earlier, mentioning WHO's “mishandling of the Covid pandemic, failure to adopt reforms and a lack of independence from inappropriate political influence”.
A US government official on Thursday rejected the idea that the US was required to clear its debt before withdrawing. Speaking to reporters, a senior HHS representative explained that payment of outstandings was not mandatory prior to exiting the organisation, despite a 1948 Congressional resolution that requires a year’s notice and settlement of any owed contributions.
Even after finalising the withdrawal, the US has not made payments for its 2024 and 2025 dues. The WHO reported that, as of January 2025, the US owed around USD 260 million.
WHO Left Without Its Top Contributor
Following the exit, WHO has lost its largest contributor. The US gave nearly US 1.3 billion to WHO between 2022 and 2023, as per a Bloomberg report.
“It’s a very messy divorce,” Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University said, as quoted by the agency.